


Christmas Baking

by AliciasClarke (fyeahgila)



Category: The Rolling Stones
Genre: 60s AU, Christmas AU, Christmas Cookies, Cute, Fluff, M/M, and Keith is rather oblivious, basically Mick has a huge crush on Keith, flatmates
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-12
Updated: 2018-12-15
Packaged: 2019-09-17 02:18:55
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 10,030
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16965858
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fyeahgila/pseuds/AliciasClarke
Summary: Mick, who's trying to become a theatre actor and Keith who dreams of playing concerts with his band end up being flatmates in London. One evening before Christmas, they decide to bake Christmas biscuits together...





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hey guys, I felt quite inspired recently, so I started writing this story :D it will have one more chapter because tbh I didn't quite know how to finish this one...let's say it got a little out of hand xD but I hope you enjoy reading! :)  
> Also in case you wanna read some more Mick/Keith, check out my other two stories if you like and have't already :D

Snow was falling and lightly coating the streets and rooftops as Keith was walking home from work at the car repair shop. It was a Saturday afternoon about two weeks before Christmas and everything was decorated nicely. People had put stars, angels, and lights into their windows and front yards. When peeking into the one or other living room while passing by, one could spot some Christmas trees that were already put up. The atmosphere was calming and beautiful, even though in the streets people were hurrying along even a little hastier than usual, probably trying to find Christmas gifts. 

Keith loved this time of the year and that's why he'd got off the underground one stop early so that he could walk a while longer to the new flat he'd just moved in about a month ago and look at all the Christmas decorations while snow was silently tickling down, wrapping everything into a white cloak.  
As he arrived home, he found his flatmate, Mick, attaching some Christmas lights to the kitchen window. 

"Hi there!", Mick called over to him as Keith got out of his coat and scarf. 

"Hey mate", Keith said as he entered the kitchen, first washing his hands in the sink, then pouring water into the kettle for tea. "You want some too?", he asked his flatmate. 

"Sure, thanks." 

"Looks nice by the way", Keith meant, nodding at the Christmas decoration. Mick had also put some pine branches and tealights on the kitchen table next to some walnuts and apples. There also were some mistletoes lying around. 

"My mum brought it earlier", he replied, sounding a little embarrassed. "She thought it would be nice to have..."

"It's fine, I like it", Keith said, while turning on the stove and putting the kettle on. 

"You do?", Mick inquired, smiling gladly. 

"Yeah, it's christmasy", he returned his smile. "Do you need any help?", Keith added then, because he didn't just want to stand around there while waiting for the water to boil.

"It's alright, I'm done now anyway", Mick meant, though. "But...do you maybe want to help me baking? Some Christmas biscuits?"

"Now?", Keith wanted to know because he wasn't expecting that question at all. 

"Yeah, I mean...if you want to", Mick just shrugged, as Keith brewed the tea and filled it into two cups. 

"Well, why not", he agreed because since he moved in, he didn't really have much time to even get to know Mick a little better. 

A bit over a month ago, Keith had read his note in the window of the café where Mick was working to earn some money on the side while he was finishing his studies at theatre school and trying to land an engagement as a theatre actor. He'd went inside the café to ask about the flatshare and met Mick, who seemed to be nice enough, so they'd decided that Keith would have a look at the flat. But since he really needed something new because the old landlord wanted him gone, Keith didn't care too much. The flat looked alright, he could afford the rent due to his job at the car repair shop and Mick was pretty polite and appeared to be like someone whom one could get along with easily. They’d actually hit it off quite well, finding out that they liked similar music and that they both shared the dream to stand on a big stage in front of an audience one day. So they agreed that Keith would move in. 

Since then a month had passed, but due to working, Keith playing music, and Mick playing theatre they didn't even get to see each other much. But what Keith could tell so far was that Mick was really nice, sometimes sweet even, when on some days he just cooked more coffee in the morning for Keith to also get some, although he didn't even ask for it, or when he actually let him borrow some of his blues records to listen to. 

"You got nothing else planned already?", Mick asked casually. 

"Well...I just wanted to play some guitar, because later I'm gonna meet up with the lads from the band to practise. We actually scored a gig next Friday at a pub", Keith told him, grinning in excitement. 

It was only their third actual show as a band, even though they had been playing together for months now. But it wasn't that easy to find a place that let you play at. The payment also was pretty much non-existent, so they all had to have other jobs to put them through. Obviously, their dream was that one day they'd make it as a band and could quit the annoying day-jobs, but it required a lot of tough work and also some luck. That's why for now they all would have to do whatever they could find to actually make a living and be able to play at night. 

Maybe that was also the reason he connected with Mick so easily and fast when they first met, because it was the same for him. He hated working as a waiter at the café just as much as Keith couldn't stand working at the car repair, but they needed the money to survive and to follow their dreams. Keith wanted nothing more than to play guitar and Mick was dying to play theatre. To get all the way there wasn't easy at all, they both understood that, but they both kept working hard to come closer to their goals and that's what connected them in some way. 

"That's great, congrats!", Mick replied with an honest smile. "So, if you have to practice, I totally get that...", he added, drifting off with a vague gesture. 

"Thanks, mate. And no, it's fine. Let's bake some biscuits", Keith decided. 

He'd play more than enough guitar later that day. As he knew his three bandmates, they'd spend all evening jamming once more until the middle of the night, they'd also get a little drunk, smoke, just play around, try out some new stuff and practice old songs until eventually they'd all end up crashing on the couch or the floor. 

"Do we have all the ingredients?", he added. 

"We got flour, sugar, and butter. Mum brought some eggs earlier and chocolate for decorating", Mick said. 

"That's all we need?"

"We also have some jam to stick them together", Mick mused, looking into the fridge. 

"I didn't know it was that easy", Keith laughed. 

"What, you never baked biscuits for Christmas, or what?", his flatmate asked incredulously. 

"I helped my mum when I was younger, but she always made the dough", Keith explained with a shrug. 

"Okay, let me show you then", Mick meant while he gathered all the ingredients and put them down on the worktop in front of the window. Outside it was getting dark by now and it still hadn't stopped snowing. 

"So...we need to whisk the butter and sugar first, then add the eggs and then work in the flour", he explained. 

"How do you know how much sugar and flour to use?", Keith really had no single clue about baking. 

He knew how to cook some easy things like potatoes, beans, or scrambled eggs, but baking? That was something entirely else and he was almost amazed that Mick knew all these things. 

"My mum told me", Mick laughed, using a measuring cup to get the right amount of sugar and put it in a bowl with the butter. 

"Okay, so what shall I do?", Keith wanted to know then.

"You could measure the flour and crack open the eggs", Mick meant as he took a wire whisk to mix the butter with the sugar while Keith took the measuring jug for the flour. 

"So...next Friday...wanna come and watch us play?", Keith suggested as he was putting the right amount of flour into the cup. At first Mick looked really eager about that prospect but then his face fell. 

"I'd love to see you play, really. But I have to go to that theatre thing...I mean, I don't have to, but I want to go. Well, but actually I'd also love to see you play", he sighed. 

"It's okay, we're planning to organise some more gigs. Jim's pretty much hanging on the phone all the time and walking up to every pub he comes across, just to ask if they'd let us play. So maybe next time?", Keith proposed. 

"Yeah, hopefully", Mick smiled. 

"Do you need the flour now?", Keith asked then, holding up the measuring cup. 

"The eggs first", Mick corrected him, and Keith used the edge of the bowl to crack them open for Mick to mix them with the other ingredients. 

"What theatre thing do you go to next Friday?", he inquired. 

"It's a play but...afterwards you can actually talk to the actors and crew. I just wanted to get some tips for casting", Mick told, inspecting the dough mix so far. 

"Sounds important to me. We're getting more shows in the future, so don't worry", Keith meant. 

"I just would have loved to see you on stage. Last time I heard you practise, some days ago, after I came home from late shift...it sounded really amazing. You've got talent, Keith", Mick told him, the mixing of the biscuit dough forgotten for a moment. 

"Thanks...", he actually felt quite flattered. It was always amazing to hear when somebody actually liked what he was playing. Keith knew he could play, he'd taught himself when he was twelve years old and had been playing for a decade by now. But it was still really great to know when someone else thought so too. 

"Well, I can play you something, if you like", he said with a grin, because he didn't mind. He spent a lot of time practising anyway and since he aspired to play in front of a crowd, Mick could as well be his audience. 

"A private concert?", Mick said in a bit of a teasing tone. 

"If you want?", Keith shrugged, still grinning. 

"Let's make these biscuits first", Mick meant, pouring the flour to the other ingredients.

"And now?"

"You can knead it in with your hands, I'll prepare the baking tray and the oven also needs pre-heating", his flatmate mused. 

Mick turned the stove on, got a rolling git and then put a baking sheet on the table and used some butter so the biscuits wouldn't stick to it. Then he laid out the Christmas biscuit forms his mum had lend him. It weren't many, just two different sized stars, a Christmas tree and a round form, but they still would look nicely. 

"What happened to you?", Mick asked him as he came over to the worktop again to check on the dough, looking at Keith's face, grinning amusedly. 

"What?", he returned a bit confused. 

"You got flour all over you", Mick laughed. "How did you manage that?"

"Well, kneading that dough ain't easy, alright?", Keith gave back with a chuckle and then, just because he wanted to annoy Mick a little for laughing at him, he flung a bit of leftover flour at him. 

"Heey, what was that for?", Mick shrieked, jumping a step back and Keith had to snort with laughter due to this reaction. 

"You're a git, you know that", he meant, but in a joking voice, and pushed his shoulder against Keith's, making him stumble against the kitchen closet. 

"And you just squeaked like a little girl", Keith mocked him, bumping into him in retaliation. They ended up bickering around like little children for a while, laughing hysterically, until they both were covered in flour and could barely catch a breath from laughing so hard. 

"Shall we make the biscuits now or do you want to throw some more flour in my face?", Mick asked after they've been standing there, just grinning at each other like the fools they were. 

"Is that a challenge?", Keith replied, and Mick just stuck his tongue out to him. He didn't answer but just grabbed the bowl with the dough and sat down at the kitchen table, looking at Keith, still with a smile on his lips. 

"What?", Keith asked after a moment, when Mick didn't break the eye-contact and he started to feel a little self-conscious because of the way the other was looking at him. 

"Nothing", Mick returned, starting to grin, which didn't really help Keith believing him. 

"Do I have flour on my nose or something?", Keith wanted to know, running a hand over his face. 

"No, you look great...I mean...you got...no flour on your nose", Mick sputtered, his cheeks reddening a tad, before he quickly averted his gaze and busied himself with rolling out the dough instead. 

Keith stood there a little puzzled for another instant, wondering about Mick's behaviour for a minute, before he sat down at the table as well. 

"I haven't done that in years", Keith commented as he took one of the star forms and pressed it down onto the rolled-out dough. 

"What, throwing flour at someone?", Mick teased him, even though he knew exactly what Keith meant. 

"No...cutting out biscuits. But yeah, the flour part as well", Keith said with a grin that Mick just returned as they went along cutting out biscuits with the forms they had at hand.

"The other day...", Mick started, while carefully cutting the biscuits "...you mentioned that you haven't really been to a theatre play, except for with school", he went on and Keith just hummed in reply. 

"Do you maybe want to come along some time?"

"When?", Keith asked a little surprised because he hadn't really thought about going to the theatre. 

“I don’t know yet. There are quite some interesting plays currently running. Do you prefer drama or comedy?”, Mick replied as they started putting the biscuits onto the baking sheet. 

“Well, as long as it doesn’t take ages and nobody is talking to themselves for hours on end, I’m okay with both, I guess?”, Keith meant with a shrug because he certainly didn’t know a lot about theatre plays. That didn’t mean, though, that he didn’t like theatre. He just hadn’t been to a play yet that actually enthralled him. 

“I guess I could find something you’d enjoy”, Mick returned grinning about what Keith said before. 

“Okay then”, Keith agreed, forming the rest of the dough to a ball to roll it out another time. 

“That means you want to come to a play with me?”, Mick asked anew, almost a little in disbelief as if he wouldn’t have expected Keith to be open to that. 

“Yeah, I’d like to”, Keith answered with a smile that Mick mirrored. He trusted him not to tag him along to something boring and it would surely be fun. “But…is it expensive?”

“At theatre school we get discounts on tickets, don’t worry about that”, Mick mentioned as Keith only nodded. 

Mick definitely could have chosen an easier way for himself. His parents weren’t working class like Keith’s, they could help him pay for school, even though they weren’t too happy that he was studying arts. Mick himself had told him right when he first looked at the flat, that his parents wanted him to become a banker or something like that. But he meant that this was the worst thing he could imagine and that he’d rather starve trying to become an actor and do what he loved than work in a job he hated for the rest of his life, even though it would pay him more than well. Either way, Mick was still very lucky that his parents could and would support him, whereas Keith just didn’t have that. But that wasn’t something he wanted to dwell on right now. 

“I’d definitely come to a play with you in it, by the way”, Keith said then, grinning. 

“Yeah, if it ever comes to that…”, Mick mumbled, and got up to put the baking tray in the oven. 

“Don’t say that, mate. You gotta believe that you’ll make it, eh?”, Keith encouraged him, because he knew that train of thoughts just too well. It also caught him sometimes, when thinking about the band. 

“I know”, he only replied, looking at his watch. “Will you play me something on guitar?”, he asked then, sounding a little more cheerful again. 

“Sure”, Keith meant and got up to get his acoustic guitar from his room. When passing the mirror in the floor, he noticed that his dark blue jumper was stained white from the flour and it made him smirk. 

“Any requests?”, he wanted to know as he returned to the kitchen and sat down with Mick again, looking at him prompting. 

“What’s your favourite song to play?”, Mick asked in return.

“At the moment it’s one we wrote just about last week or so, Jim and I…we don’t really have a title yet and I’m still trying to figure out that one part. But I love just trying around a bit…you want to hear that?”

“Of course”, Mick agreed, eager to listen to it. 

So, Keith started playing, it was a bit of a slow tune, blues-y and most definitely catchy. He couldn’t wait to finally figure it out so far that they’d be able to perform it. Probably Friday would be too soon, Jim didn’t have the whole lyrics done yet. The refrain was rather simple, but the bridges required some advanced plucking techniques and yet again he played it all a bit differently once more. This was the most beautiful thing for him about playing the guitar. Obviously, you could grimly stick to your chords, but you didn’t have to, there were always other ways to play a song that probably made it sound more unique, or even better than before. 

“Uhm…that’s about as far as I got it yet”, he meant, when finishing the song as it was so far, wondering what Mick would think of it. It was the first time he’d played it to someone who wasn’t one of his bandmates. 

“It’s amazing! I totally liked it…almost made me wish I could play too”, Mick said and honestly sounded thrilled by it. 

“You think so?”

“Yeah, I loved it. Let me know once it’s finished, I want to hear the whole thing”, he replied with a smile. 

“Thanks”, Keith was once more flattered, smiling a little to himself. “I’ll definitely play it to you then.”

“Do you know that song…by Eddie Taylor…what’s it called again?”, Mick mused. 

“I don’t know, he’s got quite a few?”, Keith returned amusedly. “Ride ‘em on Down?”, he guessed then. 

“Yeah, that one I meant! Can you play it? I like it.”

“I’ve played it before”, Keith laughed and strummed around for a bit, before remembering the tunes. 

“Ahh, I love it”, Mick commented, while he checked on the biscuits, that smelled amazingly and already were done. So, he took them off the tray and put the remaining ones on, returning it to the oven. Keith kept playing and Mick was tapping his feet to the rhythm, as they were grinning at each other, just enjoying the music and the delicious smell of the biscuits. 

“How long have you been playing for already?”, Mick wanted to know as Keith finished the song and was just plucking around, playing some short melodies that he’d made up somewhen. 

“Uh…almost half my life, basically. I started teaching myself when I was twelve. I got my first guitar for Christmas, it was a used one. But I didn’t care, I just always wanted one”, he told him, still jamming around a little. 

“So, you never had a teacher?”

“Just me”, he shrugged. His parents couldn’t afford to pay for music lessons. Of course, he’d learned how to read notes at school, but playing just came naturally to him. 

“That’s pretty awesome, really”, Mick said, and he truly sounded somewhat stunned. 

“Do you know how to play any instruments?”, Keith asked then, putting his guitar down. 

“When I was younger, my mum made me take piano lessons”, Mick reported, grimacing, which made Keith figure that he didn’t enjoy it.  
“Wasn’t for you?”

“Well, I didn’t hate the playing, I just disliked the practicing”, he meant, shuddering to think back of it. “I just wanted to have fun and not have the teacher tell me over and over again how to do it, it was annoying.” 

“Guess it was for the best then that I learned it by myself”, Keith grinned. “Hey, what about the biscuits, it kinda smells, doesn’t it?”, he added then, looking at the oven, alarmed, as Mick already jumped up. 

“Oh noo…”, he called out, as he opened the oven and steam puffed out. That’s why he took a hand towel and swung it in front of the oven for a while, silently cursing.

“Are they burned?”, Keith asked, coming over to assess the size of the disaster.

“Uh…”, Mick made, while pulling the baking tray out carefully with the help of the towel. “Oh, we’re lucky! They’re just a little dark, but not burned!”

“They’re looking fine to me”, Keith commented, laughing and Mick started chuckling too. 

“Do you still have some time to help me decorating?”, he inquired while lifting the biscuits off the tray to let them chill. “Or do you need to meet the other boys from your band?”

“I still have a while”, Keith checked his watch, figuring that he still had over an hour, and not even then did he have to hurry, because none of the other guys ever made it on time anyway. 

“Okay, cool”, Mick said, smiling happily. “Do you want strawberry jam to stick them together?”

Keith nodded in agreement, getting the jam out of the fridge while Mick busied himself with melting some of the chocolate his mother had brought over. 

“Do we need the whole chocolate bar for decorating?”

“Totally not. Why, you want some?”, Mick said, smirking and looked at him amusedly until Keith asked him what’s up. “You recently told me that you nicked some at the corner shop, remember?”, Mick helped him out, grinning.

“Oh…well, that stuff’s expensive, okay?”, Keith returned, blushing a little and Mick just giggled, while stirring the melting chocolate. 

“Here, have some”, Mick pushed the bar over to him and Keith broke off a piece. 

“Thanks.”

“It’s fine…thanks for helping me bake”, he replied with a smile. 

“It’s fun baking with you”, Keith just said, as they sat down with the jam and melted chocolate to finally get to decorate the chilled down biscuits. 

“Yeah, I liked this…also just hanging out with you, I mean”, Mick returned, sticking some biscuits together. 

“Yeah, me too”, Keith agreed, dipping one side of a biscuit into the melted chocolate. 

“Oh, you have to try them!”, Mick who’d just bitten into one of the marmalade jam ones, said through a mouth full of Christmas biscuit and held one out for Keith to take a bite as well. 

Keith leaned over and nibbled a bit from the biscuit Mick was offering to him, until he realised that he was basically feeding it to him and Keith blushed, taking the biscuit from Mick’s hand, stuffing it into his mouth. It really tasted amazing. 

“Good, right?”, Mick asked and for some reason he sounded amused, as he was looking at Keith once more with this inscrutable gaze like before. He didn’t know why Mick kept staring at him like that, but it made him feel a little odd and also somewhat giddy. But he didn’t outright dislike it, it was just not something he was used to, and it made him have a really hard to describe feeling. So, he just decided he’d return Mick’s look, maybe as some kind of challenge who would break away from holding eye-contact first. Mick started smirking and bit his lower lip, which made Keith grin.

“What are you doing?”

“Looking at you, looking at me”, he gave back, still with that smirk on his lips. 

“You’re an idiot”, Keith commented and eventually averted his gaze, which made Mick chuckle a bit. 

“Maybe”, Mick meant then. “Or maybe I just like looking at you.” 

“And why’s that?”, Keith dared to ask, even though he was blushing even harder now than before and just wanted to get some fresh air. Why was Mick being like that? If he didn’t know better, he’d almost think Mick was flirting with him? But why would he do that? He probably was just messing with him, because he was an idiot after all. 

“Cause you’re handsome”, Mick admitted, and as he actually possessed the decency to at least blush a tad as well, Keith’s mouth suddenly turned quite dry. “I mean it, you know. Actually, I think...you’re pretty fit”, he added then, biting his lip again, looking a little insecure now and his smirk was gone. 

“Are you…”, Keith started, but he didn’t even know what he wanted to ask and how to formulate it. “Are you trying to tell me that you fancy me?”, he finally got out, feeling quite silly to ask a bloke that question. 

Mick just smiled somewhat unfathomably. “What if I said I did?”, he tried, and Keith’s heart skipped a beat because he had expected almost anything but that. He honestly didn’t know how and what to reply to that. 

“I don’t know what to tell you”, he shrugged, somewhat embarrassed, looking down at the Christmas biscuits in wonder. 

He'd hit it off with Mick right from the first time they met and even though they haven’t had that much time yet to hang out together, Keith had totally enjoyed the few times they actually managed to sit with each other and just talk, or have breakfast together. He genuinely liked Mick and it actually felt like they’ve known each other for way longer than just that short time they'd spent living together. But he really didn’t know what to make of Mick's advance towards him because he’d just never been in a situation where another guy fancied him. He'd never even thought that something like that could ever happen to him. 

“It’s okay…I shouldn’t have…I’m sorry”, Mick sputtered, sighing. “I didn’t mean to…make you feel awkward. I just really like you”, he sighed once more, his gaze not directed at Keith anymore but at the kitchen table. 

“I really like you too. But…”, he started and then drifted off because he just had no clue how to express himself. 

“But you’ve got a girl”, Mick guessed. 

“No…it’s not that”, he answered. His last girlfriend had left him about four months ago because she felt like he never had time and just was hanging out with his bandmates instead of with her. By now he thought it was for the better because probably if he actually loved her, he'd made time for her and if she actually loved him, she'd been more understanding. 

“You don’t fancy blokes…”

“Well, I don’t, not really…”, Keith said. It just never occured to him before. He'd never thought a guy was pretty, or handsome, or whatever. 

“See, and that’s alright…I just…I dunno, I just wanted to say something. I just had to try...”, Mick meant and he sounded defeated which made Keith feel sorry because Mick was a really good guy and he hadn’t meant to hurt him. He just barely knew what to think or feel himself, so how should he tell Mick what was going on? 

“No, Mick…I honestly like you, okay? But I don’t know if I fancy you, too”, he tried to explain and didn't even know himself what he was even saying because this whole thing just confused him too much. 

“I don’t understand?”

“Just, ugh…let me figure this out, okay? I gotta go see the boys now”, Keith said and he knew it sounded like an excuse. Partly it also was, even if they actually wanted to practise.

“Yeah, right…”

“I’ll see you tomorrow, okay?”, he offered because he didn't know what else to do and how to handle this situation. 

“Right”, Mick mumbled and Keith knew that maybe he’d hurt him some more by just leaving now, but he couldn’t stay there without feeling like he'd suffocate. 

So he took his guitar, and disappeared to put it back into his room and fetch the case with his electric one. Then he pulled on all of his warm clothes and left the flat, leaving Mick behind in the kitchen with their Christmas biscuits.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, guys, here's the second and final chapter of this story! I loved writing this and hopefully you'll enjoy it!  
> Happy Holidays! :) 
> 
> p.s. the title for the self-written song they're playing is a line from "Lost and Lonely" from Ronnie's "Gimme Some Neck" record, which I've been listening to on repeat while writing this xD in case you don't know that album, go check it out, it's freaking awesome :D

It had been exactly a week now since they'd baked the Christmas biscuits and Mick had more or less confessed that he fancied Keith. Since then they'd barley seen each other because of work and all the other things they had to do. A lot of the time Keith just met up with his friends from the band, mostly because they needed to practice for their gig. He had no clue what Mick was doing, if he was hanging out at school, or went to the theatre, or met other friends. If they encountered each other in the kitchen in the morning or in the evening, they didn't exchange more than just a few polite words, like:

“Hey there.”

“How are you doing?” 

“Okay, just came home from practise.” 

“Do you want some tea?”

“Good morning.”

“Do we still have coffee?”

“Could you buy some new milk?”

It was absurd and frustrating, considering how great they'd gotten along before that Saturday. Usually, they'd sat down together for breakfast, or at least they'd chatted for a couple of minutes about their day, whenever they saw each other. At least that's what they did before things got awkward. Now all they did was prancing around like on thin ice, not daring to say too much. Keith just really didn't know what exactly to tell Mick. That's why he ended up saying nothing at all. And there always was that uneasy and rather embarrassing tension between them, where before light banter and pleasantry had been. Now they could barely look at each other and if they did, they'd just blush and avert their gaze in bashfulness. It was insufferable and not a situation that could go on forever without blowing up eventually. 

Keith knew it was his turn to do something about it and approach Mick first. He had to reach out to him, because he had hurt him by just running off. Probably he should have handled it better, but he was just too confused and didn't even know what to think himself. And he knew he did hurt him, because Mick didn't seem fine. Whenever Mick didn't notice that Keith was secretly observing him, he seemed crestfallen. And Keith could hear him play sad songs on his record player, when they both were home at the same time. Usually though, Mick liked varied rhythms, he didn't just listen to the same two songs on repeat. 

The problem about being the one to start talking was that he really didn't have a clue what to say or how to explain himself. That was the main reason it was taking him forever to come up with something, because he first had to figure out things for himself before he could discuss it with Mick. What should he tell him if he didn’t even know what to tell himself? 

There were just so many questions that needed answering. About Mick fancying him, about what Keith himself felt and wanted. At first, he thought it was easy. He'd just say he only liked girls and then everything would be okay. At least for Keith. But he couldn't just do that because he felt like he wouldn't be telling the truth, it would just be the easy way out. Usually, he didn't fancy guys, that was a fact. If it would have been any other guy, one of the lads from the band, Keith would just have told them that he didn't swing that way and be good with it. Even if it would probably be awkward as well. 

But with Mick, it was a whole other thing. As much as he just wanted to knock at the door of his room and tell him that he only liked him as a friend, he felt like he wouldn't only be lying to Mick but also to himself and this made him feel pretty uncomfortable. He'd been lying wide awake in his bed more than just once the past week. Imagining how he would tell Mick that they could just be friends, if that's what he wanted. But it felt wrong for some reason, even though he wanted to be his friend. At the same time, though, there was always that little nagging voice at the back of his mind, asking what if? What if Mick didn't just want to be his friend? What if what could have been a really great friendship was destroyed before it even truly had begun? What if Mick wanted him to move out? What if Keith actually fancied Mick too? What if he truly did and it just never occurred to him before because he never thought that it would be possible for him to like another guy that much? 

After almost wrecking his brains about this matter, he came to the conclusion that he only knew two things. The first of which was that he really liked Mick, but he needed to figure out if he liked him more than just a friend. And therefore, he desperately wanted and needed to talk to him again, really talk to him. He wanted to ask him so many things and just needed to get to know him some more, at least that's what he thought.   
The second thing he was sure of was that he missed spending time with him and didn’t want to lose him. He hadn't even realised before how much he'd enjoyed all the conversations they'd had, the real conversations, not their awkward small talk. Even if it weren't that many, he missed just sitting at the breakfast table, chatting to him about what he'd be doing that day. He missed coming home and Mick asking him how shitty his job was on a scale from 1-10, which always made him smile, no matter how annoying his day was. It was almost incredible how fast they’d connected with each other and how amazingly well they got along, as if they’d already known each other for a really long time. It wasn’t like Keith didn’t know enough other people, he had some good friends, friends he’d known for years and whom he cared about a lot. By now he also was old enough to have seen friends come and go, it was just how life went and you had to deal with it. Yet, he felt like not having Mick in his life anymore would be something that he couldn’t simply get over with. As this became clear to him, he started wondering, questioning, whether deep down he might actually see Mick as more than a friend as well. But he couldn’t just answer that this easily. Maybe he also was scared of the answer. 

After a week of this embarrassing tip-toeing around, Keith still didn't have a plan what exactly to tell Mick in order to sort things out. So, he thought of something else he could do to show him that he wouldn't be willing to just awkwardly exist next to him for any longer, instead of living with him and getting along just as perfectly as they’d done before. He'd nicked some more chocolate from the shop at the street corner and was cooking some proper hot chocolate with it. Mick was in his room, listening to blues music, though not the more upbeat, swinging songs, but the slow, depressing ones instead and Keith thought he absolutely needed to do something to make him feel better, since he was obviously the reason that he was feeling shitty in the first place. Once he was done stirring the chocolate into the hot milk, he added some sugar and then filled it into a cup, before taking it along as he walked over to Mick’s room. 

For a moment he just stood there, his hand ready to knock. He sighed quietly, because there was no turning back now, he’d go through with this, even if he still didn’t have a clue what exactly to say, other than he made hot chocolate. He took some deep breaths to calm his fluttering nerves and finally knocked at the door. 

“What do you want?”, Mick called over the music. Keith didn’t know if he could come in, he didn’t dare to since Mick hadn’t prompted him to.   
“I made you hot chocolate.”

“I didn't ask you to”, Mick mumbled barely audible. 

“Do you still want some?”, Keith asked anxiously, barely risking to breath while his heart was beating hard in his throat. 

“What do you want?”, Mick just repeated through the door. He'd turned the music off by now. 

“Can I come in?”, he wanted to know, his head leaning against the doorframe. 

“What for?”

“Could we just talk? Please?” 

“Fine”, Mick eventually agreed after some moments of silence where Keith felt his heart beat heavily.

When he stepped inside Mick's room, it was only dimly lit by his bedside lamp and Mick was sitting on his bed, back leaned against the headboard. His hair looked disheveled and even though he had a neutral expression on his face, his eyes looked hollow.

“Hey”, Keith said, trying for a light smile that Mick didn’t return. 

“Hi”, he just meant, not looking at him, but at the cup in his hand instead. 

“Do you want to try it?”, Keith inquired, following his gaze.

“Okay”, he replied, and Keith handed him the cup. It felt like he was making him a peace offering and he hoped that maybe it would help. 

Mick silently stared at it for a while, before trying a sip and his expression changed from careless and aloof to a little astonished. 

“This is really good!”, he said, taking another sip. “Where did you get the chocolate from?”

“Corner shop…”, Keith just offered, and Mick looked at him knowingly. 

“I didn't need you to steal chocolate for me”, he meant, and it came across a little abrasive. 

“Well, but I wanted to”, Keith returned, naturally, as if he didn’t care about Mick’s tone and this actually made Mick grin slightly for the first time in days. 

“Thanks...for the hot chocolate.” 

“It's fine...can we talk?”, Keith wanted to know then, still standing around in the middle of Mick’s room, unsure of what to do next. One thing was for sure though, he wouldn’t run away again. 

“If you have something you want to tell me...go on”, Mick just shrugged, taking another sip of the hot chocolate. 

“Look…I’m sorry. For just leaving last week. I shouldn’t have…and also for not trying to talk to you earlier. I’m sorry this…this all got so awkward, I didn’t mean to”, he started, sighing, standing in the middle of Mick’s room, feeling lost. 

“Why did you though?”, Mick wanted to know, his voice trembling lightly. 

“Because…I didn’t know what else to do.”

“I freaked you out”, it wasn’t a question.

“Somewhat”, Keith admitted, embarrassed, looking at the floor now. 

“Do I still freak you out?”

“No”, he simply returned. 

“No?”, Mick sounded almost surprised. 

“No”, Keith repeated, actually managing a coy smile“I like you. A lot, actually. I missed talking to you about stuff…and I wish we could…maybe we could just…”

“I dare you to say forget about it”, Mick disrupted him and looked angry now. 

“What? No, I didn’t want to say that…”, Keith started to defend himself but didn’t get far. 

“What then? I’ve been trying to forget about it for the past week, but I can’t. I wish I just didn’t say anything at all. Because I feel like I fucked it all up…I just want it to be the way it was, but now it can’t…”, it all spluttered out of Mick and he even got teary-eyed, averting his gaze quickly and started rubbing away the tears with his hands. 

“Mick…hey”, Keith tried, making some steps towards him, reaching a hand out to touch his shoulder, but Mick flinched away. 

“Just leave me alone, okay? I fucked things up, I know…”, his voice was stained with tears now. 

“Mick, please…, please just let me explain?”

“What else is there to explain, Keith? I got you, you don’t fancy me”, Mick meant, not able to hold his tears back anymore now. 

“Except…that maybe I might…”, Keith mumbled without looking at him. 

“What?”, Mick asked, stunned and also in disbelief.

“I just don’t know, alright? I cannot tell you right now that I fancy you, because I don’t know. But what I can tell you is that…I like you, I really do. And I don’t want…I don’t want us to be like that…not talking anymore. I missed hanging out with you, I missed having breakfast with you, or just having a cup of tea with you when coming home at night. I missed our chats…I missed you…”

Mick stared at him out of teary eyes, apparently at a loss for words, but Keith wasn’t done yet anyway. 

“It doesn’t freak me out that you like me more than just a friend. It’s just freaking me out that I don’t know how to…how to feel about you…because I don’t want to hurt you and lose you”, Keith finished and suddenly felt incredibly relieved about having it off his chest now. 

“It’s alright”, Mick said quietly, and he sounded as relieved as Keith felt. “It’s okay. We can do with that, we will figure things out, okay?”, and before Keith could even do as much as nod, suddenly he was up on his feet, wrapping his arms around him in a tight embrace. 

Keith didn’t hesitate to hug him back, leaning his head on Mick’s shoulder and it felt amazingly perfect to stand there so closely that he could sense Mick’s heart beating against his own chest, it was the most wonderful feeling. He slowly breathed in Mick’s scent, his own heart skipping a beat, as he realised that maybe this feeling, this warmth and security, was what he really wanted and that even if his mind didn’t fully comprehend or accept it yet, deep down he already might be aware that he actually might be fancying Mick too. He just didn’t dare to admit it yet because it was too new and unknown. 

“Does that mean we’re alright?”, he whispered against Mick’s neck and Mick just nodded, sighing contently, while neither of them wanted to break the embrace. It just felt too good and comfortable. But eventually they had to let go of each other again because even if he didn’t want to, Keith would have to leave and meet his bandmates for practising for their next show that already was the following day. Jim had managed to organise a gig for them, just two days after their last and right on Keith’s 23rd birthday and he was already dying to stand on that stage and play. 

“I really don’t want to, but I’ve got to leave now”, he told Mick as they finally disentangled from each other. “We’ve got a show tomorrow…it’s actually my birthday. Do you want to come?”

“Of course, I want to come!”, Mick said naturally, as if it wasn’t even a question and he finally had a smile on his lips again now which made Keith smile as well. “I finally want to see you play! And you should have told me it’s your birthday tomorrow!”

“Well, I did now”, Keith meant sheepishly.

“But I don’t have a gift”, Mick all but complained. 

“You don’t need to get me anything”, he quickly replied and meant it. 

“But I want to”, Mick protested. 

“Really, it’s not necessary.”

“Just let me?”

“Okay”, he agreed with a grin and shrugged. 

“When and where are you playing at?”, Mick wanted to know, and Keith told him about a bar in Kensington. 

“I’ll be there then”, Mick decided, he sounded excited. 

“Great, I’m looking forward to it”, Keith replied, smiling widely. It would be amazing to have Mick there now that they finally were talking again. 

“Yeah, me too”, Mick gave back, mirroring his smile and for a moment they were just happily looking at each other, indescribably glad that things seemed to be alright between them. 

“Okay, I really have to go now”, Keith meant, finally looking away from Mick's big blue eyes that didn’t seem hollow anymore but lively and full of excitement. 

“Okay, have fun”, Mick returned, for a second, he seemed to be undecided whether to hug Keith once more. In the end he didn't and just stuffed his hands into the pockets of his trousers, looking a little bashful. 

“Thanks, see you tomorrow”, Keith said with a smile and waved at him quickly before eventually leaving. 

oooo

They had to go on stage in less than five minutes and Keith still hadn’t spotted Mick in the pub. It might be a Sunday night, but it wasn’t even that extremely crowded, at least not yet. He craned his neck, trying to make out the people who were there, not paying attention to what Jim and Alfie where talking, probably about the setlist, while Liam was playing around with the amplifier of his bass guitar. 

“Ey, mate, what’s up with you?”, Jim wanted to know then, pushing his shoulder, as Keith didn’t react immediately.

“What did you say?”

“I asked whether you feel alright playing our new song tonight?”, he repeated. “You already pissed or what?”, he added with a grin. 

“Nah…I was just…it doesn’t matter. If you wanna play the song, I’m down with it, man”, he replied, grabbing his guitar and plugged in the cable. 

“Awesome!”, Jim meant, patting his shoulder. “Okay, let’s do this, boys!”, he called over to Alfie on the drums and Liam who apparently was done adjusting his sound. 

They started their set with one of the first songs they wrote together as a band, which Keith knew by heart better than any other one and could probably play in his sleep. After that followed another self-written piece and then a cover of a country song for which Keith switched to his acoustic guitar and Liam accompanied them on the har. It was a really fun one to play and Keith totally enjoyed being up there on the stage, just doing what he loved. 

As they finished that number and the audience started cheering, Keith let his view wander over the people in the pub once more, not really caring that it was getting more and more crowded, even though secretly he was thrilled that so many people would hear their songs. But at the moment, he only cared about playing a great show and even more he wanted Mick to show up. Though, he still wasn't there yet, at least he couldn't make him out among all these people. 

When they ended their next song, another self-written one, Jim started to talk to the audience, joking around a little, telling the usual stories about how they decided to start playing music together, how happy they were to be here right now and what not. Keith didn't really listen to any of it, because finally he had spotted him. Mick was standing there, a few metres back, leaning at the counter with a pint in his hand. As he realised that Keith had noticed him, he lifted the glass up in greeting and even though the lights were dimmed down a little, Keith could still make out the huge smile on his face, prompting him to mirror it and he shortly lifted a hand up to return Mick's greeting. 

“And now, because it's a special night, we've got a very special song for you”, Jim was saying. “It's actually Keith's birthday today, that guy there with the guitar, yes, that's our dear mate, Keith, it's his 23rd birthday…”, he went on, while Keith was blushing a little due to all the attention he was suddenly getting, but Jim couldn't even finish his sentence since some tipsy guys already started singing “Happy Birthday”. Of course, his bandmates joined in as well and the whole pub ended up singing for him, which made him blush even more because he wasn't used to getting all of the attention, but he felt really flattered, nevertheless. As he looked over to where Mick was standing, he could see him grinning, singing along to the birthday song and it made him feel incredibly giddy. 

“Uh...thanks, guys”, Keith said into the mic as everybody started cheering once again. “Thanks, it's great to be here tonight, spending my birthday with all of you...hope you're enjoying our show”, he continued. What he actually meant, though, was that it was amazing that Mick was finally there and watched him play. 

“So...as I said, we've got a special song for you”, Jim started again, and Keith was glad for it because he was way better at talking and handling the audience than he was himself.   
“Actually, we just wrote it about two weeks ago and we've never played it live before. You're the first ones to hear this tonight. This song’s called ‘Wasting away for you’”

While they were playing, Keith let his view wander to Mick again who smiled at him sweetly as he noticed Keith watching. Mick swayed along to the rhythm of the song as Keith played his guitar solo, his hands focused on the plucking but his gaze searching for Mick's every now and then. Whenever their eyes met, they started grinning at each other and as Keith ended the song on a particularly great tune, he winked at Mick who showed him a thumbs up. I felt like the best thing ever to be playing a new song live for the first time, knowing that he really aced the tricky parts. 

They played three more songs and then their set was over for that night. As they put their instruments down, they all patted each other's backs, really thrilled and content about how the show went. 

“Let's have a drink now, lads”, Liam decided, wrapping an arm around each Keith and Jim’s necks and directed them towards the bar. 

“Yeah, I just gotta get someone real quick, okay?”, Keith meant, getting out of Liam's grip and wiggling his way through to where Mick was. 

“Hi”, he simply said, a huge grin on his face as he reached him. 

“Hi”, Mick replied, grinning widely as well, before pulling Keith into a close embrace. “Happy birthday, Keith”, he mumbled against his neck, pressing a quick kiss there which send a pleasant shiver down his spine and his breath caught for a second, while he tightened his grip on Mick. 

“Thanks”, Keith murmured back as Mick eventually had to let go of him in order for things to not look weird. 

“I loved the show. Your guitar solo was incredible, even better than when you first played it to me”, Mick complimented him, as they still were standing really closely together.   
Keith could feel Mick’s breath against his skin, but it was alright since the pub was heavily crowded by now. 

“Thanks...I'm so happy you came”, he admitted, biting his lip. 

“Yeah me too…sorry for being a bit late, though, I still had to do some theatre stuff for class.”

“It's fine, you’re here now…”, before he could go on, his three bandmates showed up with beer in their hands. 

“Ey, mate, who's that?”, Liam inquired, pressing a pint of Guinness into his hand. 

“That's my flatmate, Mick...I told you about him”, Keith meant. 

“Ahhh you're that guy! I'm Liam”, he said, offering Mick his hand to shake. 

“I'm Alfie, cool to finally meet you”, the drummer piped in as well.

“Yeah, same”, Mick replied, grinning. 

“Keith always talks about you, man, one could think you're his girlfriend, not his flatmate”, Jim joked, not noticing that Keith blushed heavily, and Mick quickly took a sip from his pint to hide his face behind, before Jim shook his hand, introducing himself. 

“Well, I hope he only says good stuff about me”, Mick was kidding. 

“Only the best”, Jim winked at him. 

“Your show was awesome, I totally love your songs. Keith already played me some before but seeing and hearing the full thing was pretty neat.”

“Let’s drink on that! Cheers!”, Jim meant, and they all clinked their glasses together. 

They kept talking about music, joking around and drinking some more pints until it was closing hour and the barkeeper almost had to throw them out. Then they gathered their equipment together and brought it outside to Jim’s car. As they’d stored away everything, obviously there wasn’t enough space left anymore for five people. There never was enough space already when they just were four.

“Mick and I are gonna walk home, it’s just about a mile”, Keith meant, and Mick agreed with him. It wasn’t too cold outside, even though there still was lying snow, but it was a clear night and some walking wouldn’t hurt them. So, they said their goodbyes to the other guys, Keith telling Jim that he’d stop by at his flat to get his guitars the next day. Then, they went on their way through the snowy streets of Kensington. There weren’t many people still around at that time. 

“I thought you wouldn’t show at first”, Keith admitted after they’d been walking silently next to each other for a few hundred metres. 

“Why wouldn’t I?”, Mick wanted to know, sounding a bit astonished. 

“I don’t know…probably ‘cause you were still mad at me or something”, Keith said, pushing his hands further into the pockets of his coat.

“I’ve never been mad at you, just at myself”, Mick meant. “Also…we’re good now, right?”, he added, but his voice sounded a little insecure. 

“Yeah, we’re good now”, Keith reassured him and lightly bumped into him, which made Mick stumble a little, but then he bumped into Keith as well and they kept that up for a few steps, chuckling and staggering around and appearing way more tiddly than they actually were. Although Keith had the distinct feeling that he could drown considerably more than Mick, who actually had seemed rather tipsy before at the pub. But probably the cold air was sobering him up. 

Or also not, because just as Keith was musing about that, something cold and wet was pressed into his face and he jumped back from Mick and his hand full of snow. 

“What the fuck, mate?”, he called out in surprise, wiping the snow off of his face, before scooping some more up from a garden wall to retaliate. Like this they were chasing each other, ducking down behind parked cars, trying to strike a hit, all the while screaming and giggling like schoolboys. They kept this up for quite some time, until suddenly a door was opened, front light switched on and some angry looking old man screamed at them to shut the fuck up before he’d call the cops on them. 

Their only reaction to this was hysterical laughter, which made the man turn even more furious, so Mick grabbed Keith’s hand, shouting “Quick, run!”, and they were skipping down the street hand in hand all the rest of the way to the house their flat was located in. Once they slammed the door behind themselves, they almost broke down from laughing so hard and Mick leaned his head onto Keith’s shoulder, both of them shaking from laughter and excitement. It took them a while until they could calm down enough to eventually be able to get out of their winter clothes, and even then, they started giggling uncontrollably again until both of them were barely able to catch a breath anymore. 

So, they ended up just leaning against the wall in the narrow floor of their flat, gasping and occasionally still chuckling. As they’d finally settled enough, they were standing there, gazing at each other, still with grins on their faces and Keith thought that probably this was one of the best birthdays he’s ever had. 

“Keith?”, Mick quietly asked after a moment, his view not directed to his eyes anymore. 

“Hmm”, he only made in return, they were leaning together so closely, that their bodies almost touched. 

“Is it…can I…”, he all but stammered, before sighing and looking away for a moment. “I…I really want to kiss you right now”, he finally got out and Keith suddenly felt pretty warm, even though the flat was badly heated. 

“Is that okay?”, Mick added, quite anxiously, as Keith felt his mouth turn dry, his heart thumping nervously in his chest. Mick was so close to him by now and he looked rather adorable with his messed-up hair and cheeks reddened from the cold. Also, Keith was still so giddy and exhilarated from their snowball fight and their escape from the enraged old guy that he couldn’t think clearly anymore, probably he also didn’t want to ponder right then. So, he finally nodded lightly, as his heart was excitedly beating against his throat. 

Mick smiled at him lovely and Keith couldn’t do else but mirror his smile, as Mick cupped his cheek tenderly with one hand, running his thumb across his skin and Keith melted into his touch, closing his eyes. When Mick leaned in, their lips finally touching, Keith felt like his heart skipped a beat, but as Mick gently started kissing him, he relaxed, moving his own lips against his. Keith had never kissed a guy before, but Mick’s full lips felt quite soft and pleasant and he completely enjoyed kissing him. It made him feel pretty light-headed and he tangled a hand in Mick’s hair, pulling him even closer. When they eventually let off of each other again, Keith grinned at Mick almost sheepishly, which made him laugh quietly. 

“So, does that mean you fancy me too?”, he asked, jokingly, they still were so near to each other that they essentially were hugging. 

“I guess…”, Keith replied, leaning his head on Mick’s shoulder and they were remaining in this embrace for a while, relishing this closeness. 

“I’ve got something for you, by the way, a birthday present”, Mick mumbled against his hair after a while.

“What, I told you, you didn’t need to get me anything”, Keith gave back, but he still thought it was really sweet of Mick to have gotten something for him. 

“Just let me fetch it quickly”, Mick said with a grin, all but jumping into his room, before coming back just moments later with an envelope in his hand, Keith’s name printed on the front side in Mick’s handwriting. 

“Here”, he said, smiling, handing it to him. 

Keith opened it and found two tickets for a theatre play in it. It was a play he hadn’t heard of before, but it still made him smile.

“Thanks”, he meant. “It’s a neat idea”, he grinned, thinking back of how Mick had asked him if he wanted to come to a play with him. 

“It’s next weekend, I hope you’ve got time?”

“Even if I didn’t, I’d make time to come to that play with you”, Keith replied honestly. 

“I’m glad you like it”, Mick said, smiling widely and Keith wrapped his arms around him, holding him close, thinking that this truly had turned out to be the best birthday he’d ever had.


End file.
